It was a cold, rainy night when Emily found herself home alone for the first time in months. Her parents had gone to a dinner party, leaving her with a bowl of popcorn and a few horror movies to keep herself entertained. She loved the thrill of a good scare, but tonight felt different. The house was eerily quiet, and the rain pattered against the windows like tiny fingers tapping to be let in.Halfway through her movie, Emily heard a faint noise coming from the kitchen. She paused the film, listening intently. It was probably just the old house settling, she thought. But then she heard it again—a soft creak, like someone stepping on a loose floorboard.Emily's heart began to race. She grabbed her phone and slowly made her way to the kitchen, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floor. The kitchen was dark, but she could make out the silhouette of the refrigerator and the outline of the table and chairs. She held her breath, waiting for another sound. But there was only silence.She let out a small laugh, feeling a bit foolish. "It's just my imagination," she whispered to herself. Emily turned to head back to the living room when she saw it: a shadow moving in the hallway out of the corner of her eye. It was quick, almost too quick to notice, but she was sure she saw it.Her hands trembled as she flicked on the hallway light. "Hello?" she called out, her voice wavering. No response. She slowly walked down the hallway, glancing into each room, but everything was exactly as it should be. No signs of anyone else.As she turned to go back to the living room, she saw it again—a dark figure standing at the end of the hallway. This time, there was no mistaking it. The figure was tall, its face hidden in shadow, and it stood completely still, as if waiting for something. Emily's breath caught in her throat. She blinked, and the figure was gone.Panic surged through her body. She ran back to the living room, grabbed her phone, and dialed her mom's number with shaking fingers. No signal. The rain outside intensified, battering the windows more violently than before.Suddenly, the power went out, plunging the house into darkness. Emily's breathing quickened as she fumbled for the flashlight app on her phone. The beam of light flickered to life, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls. She could feel the presence of someone—or something—watching her.She backed up against the wall, clutching her phone like a lifeline. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any sign of movement. And then she heard it again—the creak of a floorboard, this time much closer."Whoever's there, please go away!" she shouted, her voice breaking.A low, raspy whisper responded from the darkness, "I'm already here."Emily's blood ran cold. She turned the flashlight towards the source of the voice and saw the figure standing just a few feet away. Its face was still hidden, but its eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out.The figure took a step closer, and Emily's instincts kicked in. She bolted towards the front door, flinging it open and sprinting into the rain-soaked night. She didn't stop running until she reached her neighbor's house, pounding on the door frantically.The neighbors let her in, and as she tried to explain what happened, she glanced back at her house. Through the rain and darkness, she saw the figure standing at the window, watching her with those faintly glowing eyes. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.The police searched the house thoroughly but found no signs of forced entry or anyone inside. They chalked it up to Emily's imagination playing tricks on her in the dark. But Emily knew better. She knew what she saw. And she knew she was no longer alone in her own home.
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"The Midnight Shift"
Emma had just started her new job at the local McDonald’s, taking the late-night shift. The store was always quiet at night, with only a few customers trickling in for a midnight snack. Her coworker, Jake, was the only other person working with her. He had been at this location for years and knew all the ins and outs of the job.One night, around 3 a.m., a strange customer walked in. He was unusually tall, with a long, unkempt beard and eyes that seemed almost too large for his face. He didn’t order anything at first; he just stood there at the counter, staring at Emma with a blank expression.“Can I help you, sir?” Emma asked, trying to maintain her composure.The man slowly grinned, revealing a set of yellowed, crooked teeth. “Just a coffee,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. She nodded and quickly prepared his order, feeling uneasy under his intense gaze. When she handed him the coffee, his hand brushed hers, and she felt a chill run down her spine. His skin was cold, almost clammy.After he took his coffee, the man didn’t leave. Instead, he sat down at the table farthest from the counter, in the darkest corner of the restaurant. Emma tried to ignore him, but every time she glanced over, he was staring at her.“Hey, Jake, have you seen that guy before?” she whispered, nodding toward the corner.Jake looked over and his face paled. “No, but I’ve heard stories. Late-night customers that just… don’t seem right.”Emma tried to laugh it off, but something about the man was deeply unsettling. Hours passed, and the man stayed put, sipping his coffee ever so slowly. Eventually, Emma decided to take a break. She went to the back room to grab a drink and calm her nerves. When she came back, the restaurant was eerily quiet. Jake was nowhere to be seen.“Jake?” she called out, but there was no answer.Panic began to set in. She walked around the counter and saw that the man was gone, too. Her heart raced as she checked the bathroom, the kitchen, and even outside, but there was no sign of them. She pulled out her phone to call for help, but the screen flickered and went black.Suddenly, the lights in the restaurant began to flicker. Emma heard a strange sound, like whispering, coming from the back of the store. She slowly approached the kitchen, her hands trembling. The whispering grew louder, more insistent, until it was almost a deafening roar in her ears. She burst through the kitchen doors and saw Jake standing in front of the walk-in freezer, his back to her.“Jake! What’s going on?” she shouted.Jake didn’t respond. He just stood there, motionless. Emma cautiously approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, and she gasped in horror. His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, and his mouth was frozen in a silent scream. In his hand, he held a small, broken mirror.Before Emma could react, the freezer door swung open with a loud creak. Inside, she saw the tall man from earlier, his eyes now glowing a sickly yellow. He beckoned to her with a long, bony finger.“Come inside,” he whispered in that same gravelly voice. “It’s much warmer in here.”Terrified, Emma tried to pull Jake away, but he wouldn’t budge. His eyes were locked on the man, who continued to beckon them into the freezer. Emma’s mind raced as she felt the temperature around her drop. She knew she had to get out of there, but Jake seemed to be in some kind of trance.Suddenly, the man stepped forward, his long limbs unfolding unnaturally. Emma screamed and bolted for the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She ran through the empty restaurant and out into the night, not stopping until she was a block away. When she finally looked back, the McDonald’s was dark, the lights all turned off, as if it had never been open in the first place.Emma quit her job the next day. Jake was never seen again, and neither was the strange man. But sometimes, late at night, she could still hear that whispering, calling her back to the McDonald’s, back to the freezer, back to where the real horrors waited.
By SHIBSHANKAR PAULabout a year ago in Horror
The Character Who Isn’t on Payroll
Posted to r/nosleep I work at Disneyland. I won’t say my department, but I’m close enough to characters that I see schedules, handoffs, rotations—the boring, logistical side of “magic.” Which is why this has been driving me insane.
By V-Ink Stories6 days ago in Horror
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